Students should begin by developing an understanding of the relationship between economics and global health. Have students explore materials and statistics from organizations such as Partners in Health (http://www.pih.org/pages/resources/), the World Health Organization (http://www.who.int/research/en/), and the United Nations (http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/bkgd.shtml). Ask them to collect the statistics or facts that they find most surprising or discussion-worthy and to share them with the class. Students should have a short discussion about the variety of problems they have researched, which organizations are trying to solve those problems, and their respective approaches.

After this discussion, have students break into small groups based on their interests. For example, some groups might be interested in HIV/AIDS or malaria or the consequences of scarce clean drinking water. Each small group will be responsible for researching a particular illness or disease and discovering in which part of the world it’s most prevalent. They will put together a comprehensive presentation on the economy of the location, the illness or disease, and how it fits into the UN Millennium goals. This presentation should be presented as if students are a part of a non-governmental organization applying for a grant to travel and work at their specific location. They might also consider creating funding proposals by researching, for example, how great the cost would be for basic medical supplies for a month-long stay.

When all groups have presented, the class should determine which group should be awarded the “grant” and why.

Poverty issues affect communities around the world. Students should develop an understanding of poverty (as in the first lesson plan). Farmer and Sachs encourage their supporters that action can be taken in regions or areas which many might call “hopeless.” Students should focus on researching what types of organizations exist to combat issues of poverty and illness and also on what small steps these organizations are taking against these issues.

Students should then view GOOD Magazine’s YouTube video on the UN Millennium Goals (http://www.youtube.com/user/GOODMagazine#p/u/155/vddX4n30sXY). This video focuses on the expectations of the Goals and how they can be accomplished through collaborative effort.

Fighting poverty, illiteracy, and healthcare injustice is both a global and local project. Students who are interested should investigate how these problems are affecting a local community. Using statistics or field research, they should compose an editorial to the local newspaper framed as a call to action for community members. Students who are interested in these issues on a larger scale should conduct similar research focused on a specific location and write a similar call to action piece, perhaps one to be posted on a blog or online forum.